Saturday, December 22, 2007

fish

A rather disturbing piece, most people think, when they see it hanging on my studio wall. And in my own opinion it is not one of my stronger pieces. Yet I still usually have it up where I can see it as I work on other projects. I was doing a lot of ‘fish’ pieces at the time, some just fish, some had a woman with a fish inside her… and then along came this one… a great big fish who apparently ate a woman and now she is just digesting, waiting to be pooped out.

My mom saw it once and asked; “what is this one about?” (trying not to sound horrified.) I talked about the symbol of christianity, and becoming one with christ, being made a sacrament... And it was some of what I was thinking of as I worked this image out. The euphemistic version of it. It is also about being consumed. Absorbed. Swallowed up. Being fish food .

but I just had another thought too... maybe, possibly, that is a birth canal, not a digestive tract. conceivably (heheh) it is about being reborn, and not only about being shit.

passing through a particular event, coming out changed at the other end.